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The annual Midway Swiss Days Festival takes place the Friday and Saturday of Labor Day weekend every year. The festival is a huge event for the community, and draws tens of thousands of visitors over the two days. In addition to the more than 200 purveyors of arts, crafts, and food booths set up at Midway Town Square, the event also features live entertainment on the main stage and performances inside Midway Town Hall, a 10K run and parade Saturday morning, and lots more! The festival has grown such that additional booths now set up across the streets from the square and offer their vendor goods during the festival, acting almost as an extension of Swiss Days.
Important civic improvements were made in Midway during the 1930s and 1940s. One such improvement project was the Midway Recreation Center, now known as the “Town Hall,” which was dedicated in June 1941. Today, this community space remains the center of many events including the famous Midway Swiss Days. The festival was established in 1947 and was originally called Harvest Days. Thanks to the efforts of Luke’s Hot Pots Resort (now Ameyalli Resort) owners Joseph B. and Pauline S. Erwin and a number of local enthusiastic supporters, they saw an opportunity to honor the history of the first Swiss settlers with an annual celebration. They formed a club that became the Midway Boosters to support the continued efforts needed for the festival event. This volunteer group still exists to this day and supports many city improvements and activities in addition to Swiss Days.
The festival set out to celebrate the Swiss pioneers who came to Midway and the Heber Valley, stunned by its similarity to their homeland. The view of the Wasatch Back — including Mount Timpanogos and the rest of the mountain range — felt like home. Today, Swiss Days offers a lively experience in honor of the town's history. Many of the Midway residents volunteer their time, contributing countless hours in preparation, setup, and day of support to make the festival happen each year. And funds raised from Swiss Days go back to the community to facilitate improvements to town square and public parks.
